1. Technical Field
The present invention relates in general to an improved data processing system and in particular to a method and system for automatically distributing an electronic document within a data processing system. Still more particularly, the present invention relates to a method and system for automatically distributing an electronic document within a data processing system in response to a determination of a functional area associated with said document.
2. Description of the Related Art
The modern electronic office is rapidly supplanting and replacing many aspects of the traditional paper office. Modern office systems utilize electronic mail, voice mail, centralized databases, and other forms of electronic communication to decrease the amount of so-called "float" encountered in a traditional paper society. By utilizing electronic mail it is possible for a document to be simultaneously transmitted to multiple recipients at various points around the world.
Despite the advent of widespread electronic communication, selected activities within the traditional paper office have been difficult to implement in an electronic society. For example, the distribution of electronic documents in known electronic offices must be accomplished by manually entering a desired list of recipients and thereafter transmitting the electronic document to the listed recipients. Groups of desired recipients may be preselected and listed together; however, manual selection of a group of recipients is still required.
In selected applications it is often desirable to automatically transmit an electronic document to a predetermined list of recipients. For example, invention disclosure documents must generally be evaluated to determine whether or not the invention described therein merits the filing of a patent application, a publication of the material contained therein or the closing of the file which contains the disclosure. In such instances, it is necessary and desirable to transmit these invention disclosure documents to one or more skilled evaluators who are knowledgeable in a specific functional area, in order to obtain an accurate evaluation.
In addition to invention disclosures many companies now encourage employees to submit written suggestions to cut costs or otherwise improve the efficiency of the company. These suggestions must also be routed to one or more skilled evaluators for appraisal.
It should therefore be apparent that a need exists for a method and system whereby electronic documents stored within a data processing system may be automatically distributed to a preselected list of recipients.